Running
by Jessie7403
Summary: 17-year-old Bella Swan is the witness to a brutal murder. The murderer orders her to stay silent. Will she? Or will she tell and then run? AH, Canon couples.
1. Preface

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Twilight. Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

**Summary: **17-year-old Bella Swan witnesses a murder while living in the town of Forks, Washington with her dad. Her best friend Jacob Black relocates her to Chicago, Illinois, where she meets a handsome young man. Is she now safe from the wrath of the sadistic killer? Or is she still in grave danger?

"_I'd never given much thought to how I would die. But dying in the place of someone I loved seemed like a good way to go."_

Preface

He was standing before me now. The cold-blooded man who I had seen take an innocent life long ago. I couldn't remember how long ago. Time hadn't mattered to me for a while. All that mattered was making the most of it while I could, with my own personal angel. _So why am I standing here?,_ I questioned myself. A voice in the back of my mind told me to go back to him, but another voice argued that I had a reason to be here. There had been a perfectly good reason…but I couldn't recall it.

The man took one step forward, a smile slowly turning his lips up. That smile made my stomach turn. I swallowed back the bile that had risen in my throat. I longed to see the smile of my angel one last time, or at least the smile of my best friend. But instead, here I stood, having to see death smile at me before I, well…died. Thinking of my angel and my best friend, the reason I had for being here came back to me. _"I will find every single person that you love. Every last one of them, and I will kill them. So please don't make this hard, for you or for me. It will be much easier if it was only you who had to die." _It was what he had said to me over the phone a few days ago.

God, I was stupid. Exactly how was he supposed to accomplish that? He didn't know my mom. It was only by coincidence that we had ended up in Phoenix. I was pretty sure he knew my dad. But Charlie was a cop. Cops carry guns. He could've taken care of himself, had the need ever come up. He didn't know all of my friends--only Jacob. Did he know my angel? Or my angel's family? That, I wasn't sure of…another step taken by the murderer brought me back to the present. He no longer had a pleasant smile on his face. His face was now set in an expression of anger. No more smiles, no more dark humor. I was surely going to die now.

I guess this was one of those things that people think will never happen to them. Not even in my worst nightmares could I have imagined this happening.

**A/N****: **Aren't you interested now? Hehe. Please review. I'll have the next chapter up soon.


	2. Revelation

_I could feel the cold metal of the barrel of his .45 caliber pistol adjacent to my temple. He demanded silence about the murder I had unfortunately just witnessed. I simply nodded my head, my lips set into a thin line. What else was I to do?_

_My eyes drifted to the poor girl lying on the cold, wet ground. She was pretty and young, around my age it looked like. I wanted to cry. I didn't know her, but she had her whole life ahead of her. Whether she was 17, 18, 19, it didn't matter. The girl could have had plans for college, for a job, for a family…but none of it mattered now. She was dead. And it was all thanks to the man standing next to me._

_I hated him. I cursed him to the deep fiery pits of hell with all my heart. How could he? He had no reason for her death, that much I knew. He was just a cold-hearted person, killing for the sake of killing. Exactly like Clyde Barrow of the infamous Bonnie and Clyde duo._

_There was no time for crying now, though. With a simple "Remember, I want silence," and a reinforcing push of his gun, he was gone. My eyes quickly glanced to the spot where the girl was…or had been. She was gone, too. I didn't want to think, didn't want to imagine. In a stupor I walked over to my rusty 1950's Chevy and got in. I fumbled with the keys for a moment; my fingers felt numb. As I was driving up the familiar lane to the house where I lived with my dad Charlie, the nightmarish images came back. I quickly suppressed them and ran inside to the safety of my bedroom, but I was stopped by Charlie._

_"Bella?"_

_"Yeah, it's me, Dad." My voice sounded odd, on the verge of hysterical…_

_"Okay. Well, I ordered a pizza. It's on the table. Your day go good?"_

_"Yup. It was just another average, boring day." Of course I had never been a good liar. I knew that Charlie knew that I was lying._

_"Ah…okay then," I was thankful he didn't press the matter, "Jessica called. She asked if you wanted to hang out next weekend."_

_"Oh. I'll call her later. I think I'm going to go to bed early, though. I'm really tired. Goodnight, Dad."_

_"Goodnight, Bella."_

_I had finally reached the solace of my bedroom. Without changing, I hurried to my bed and curled up under my old quilt. I was still numb, but not numb enough to not remember, to not feel a tiny bit. Fuck, I knew I was going to have nightmares--_

"Bella? Beeeeeeellllaaaa?" I realized that there was a big, russet colored hand waving in my face. I looked away from the hand and into the eyes of my best friend, Jacob Black.

My best friend and I were hanging out at the local diner. Ever since that night almost a month ago, my mood had been slightly off, so he was trying to cheer me up.

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"The interrupting cow."

"The interrupting cow wh--?"

"Moo."

I laughed and said, "Jake, you're so lame," and in reply he just gave me a big cheesy grin.

We had finished eating and as we stood up to leave, I was once again astounded by Jake's height. I had known this boy since elementary school, and he had _grown_. His now 6-and-one-quarter-foot frame towered over my 5-foot-4-inch stature. The inequality of it was almost comical.

I noticed a fact that was completely trivial.

"Hey, look, Jake. You're wearing orange and I'm wearing blue. We coordinate!"

"Not only that, but we're wearing complementary colors. See? I learned a thing or two in art class."

"Sure, buddy. Let's go."

As Jake and I climbed into my car, I got to thinking about the murder and the threatening man again. He had ordered me to tell no one of what I saw that night. But where's the justice in that? I couldn't be expected to let something like that just be forgotten about. Why hadn't I heard about a dead body being found, anyway? Maybe the creep disposed of it…ugh. Mental images of rotting corpses being burned. I quickly directed my mind back to whether or not I should tell someone. The frustration of this decision was beginning to drive me over the edge. Well, I guess I went over the edge in that moment, because I pulled the car over, angled myself towards Jake, and said in a rush of words, "Jacob, two weeks ago I witnessed a murder, but the murderer said not to tell anyone so it's been bottled up inside all this time and I finally decided that I should tell someone."

He stared blankly back at me for a moment, seeming obtuse.

It felt like an eternity had passed before he finally said, "I have a plan. I'm going to report this to the police. They will find this killer, and you will testify against him. Then I'm going to get you out of here."

"Why am I going to leave?" I replied.

"For your own good, that's why." Mine and his moods were completely opposite of what they had been not twenty minutes ago. "If he is found guilty, this guy is not going to be happy. He will find a way to get to you, whether it's through an escape from prison or through friends of his. On the other hand, if he is found innocent, he has the ability to go after you himself."

I nodded, the logic of his words slowly sinking in. I could see his point, even if it meant leaving my family. Thoughts of the Witness Protection Agency ran through my head. I guess this was one of those things that people think will never happen to them. Not even in my worst nightmare could I have imagined this happening.

"I understand. But--I--I wish--I just wish that thi--that this had never happened. That girl, Jake! That poor girl. She was so young, Jacob--at least our age."The reality of all that had happened was finally crashing down on me. There was a sick killer out there, and I had let him get away with a murder, right before my own eyes! I couldn't imagine how Her family had felt when they found out that their daughter didn't come home that night…or any night after that. I began to sob uncontrollably.

**A/N:** So, what'd you think of this chapter? *Hint, hint* I'll work on making them longer. I would actually make this chapter longer, but I'm impatient and I have to go work on my English paper. Please review!


	3. Goodbye

I was going to refer to the deceased girl as 'She' and 'Her.' I wanted to honor Her with some type of remembrance. The murderer I named '_Him.' _It wasn't said normally like Him, but _Him_, with a deep burning hate.

Jacob was planning on sending me on a plane to Chicago, Illinois. He said that he had some distant relatives there, second cousins, or something of the like. If they didn't find _Him _in the next three or four weeks, I was to be on a plane out of here ASAP. And so we waited…

***

Three weeks had now passed. That made it about seven weeks since the Tragedy. I was just pulling up to Charlie's house when Jake pulled up in his Rabbit and ran over to my door, flailing his arms about wildly, a few pieces of paper in his hand.

"Bella! Bella! Bella, we have to go, your plane leaves in three hours. We have to be at the airport an hour earlier than that, and it's about an hour's drive down to Port Angeles, so that gives you about an hour to pack, oh but what if there's traffic? Well I doubt it, but still, it's good to have some time left over—"I cut him off right there so I could interrupt.

"Wait. What?" He looked at me as if I had just said that I saw flying pigs.

"What do you mean 'what?'? Do you not remember our little deal three weeks ago? When I said that if that guy hadn't been found in three or four weeks that I was going to get you out of here?"

"Of course I remember, Jake! It's just…don't you think this is all a little short notice? What am I supposed to tell Charlie?" What _was _I supposed to tell him? 'Oh, hey Dad? I just wanted to tell you that I'm flying to Chicago tonight because I'm trying to avoid a killer. I love you! Bye!' I didn't consider my dad quite a normal reactor, but I didn't think that would go over too well with a lot of parents.

"It's already taken care of. I told my dad that you told me that you wanted to take a trip over summer break. So Dad passed it on to Charlie and…he gave the ok!" Jake looked pretty proud of himself.

It did sound like a pretty good excuse. And Charlie had believed it, even given his permission. But I had three more days of school left. Then again, we weren't even doing anything these last three days. As it is, today all of my class time was spent watching movies. Final exams were finished last week…fuck it, Jake had already bought the tickets. I turned to him to nod my head and tell him that I was going to leave tonight.

"Then go start packing! Take no more time than an hour."

"Alright, I won't take long."

But as I went in the house and into my room, I realized that I didn't know how _much _to pack. A month? A week? Three months? _It's better to be overpacked than underpacked. _With that thought, I grabbed my biggest suitcase and duffel bag and began to shove clothes and toiletries into them. Not forty five minutes later, I was heading back down the stairs with my two very large bags, to a waiting Indian standing in my living room.

"I just called Charlie and told him about the plane. You ready?"

"I guess so," I answered reluctantly.

Jake's hand went under my chin and pulled my face up so my eyes would meet his. "Bella, it's going to be okay. I'll make sure of it." That little comment didn't do its job of making me feel better.

"If you say so." I knew my accompanying smile didn't look quite right.

"Let's go," he said quietly.

***

It was nice to finally sit down. I had a window seat, which I was thankful for. I loved to look out the window as the plane flew over the land; it was so scenic. The security line had gone on forever.

"_I guess you can go now Jake, I only have to go through securi—ty…" I was taken aback by how long the line was. It was winding like a snake along the wall, around the corner, and about fifty yards down that wall._

"_Uh, actually, do you mind talking to me while I wait in line?"_

"_Sure, no problem, Bells." Jake had a look of amusement on his face. Obviously he had seen the line, too._

"_Geez, how many people fly out of Port Angeles on a Tuesday evening?"_

_Jake laughed before answering, "I don't know, but aren't you glad I'm here? Just imagine how much longer it would seem to take if you had nothing to do."_

I had been _very _thankful for Jacob's presence. But even when it seems like things will never end, they always do; I had reached the security checkpoint all too soon. _I never really liked goodbyes_, I thought as another flashback came to me.

_I was looking at the floor, staring at a cricket that amazingly hadn't jumped since I'd been looking at him._

_Jake saw me staring at the cricket and decided to do what only Jake would do._

"_Hey look, a cricket!" With that, he lifted up his giant foot and brought it down to stop only an inch above the little cricket._

_My poor heart was beating so fast._

"_Jake! Do NOT step on that cricket. I repeat, do NOT," I said while moving in between him and Mr. Cricket, then muttered, "Jerk."_

_The little cricket was no longer stationary, though. He had since jumped about seven feet away, in the path of the other security line._

"_Now look at what you did!"_

"_Oh, he would've done it eventually."_

_I looked back at the cricket, except…it wasn't a cricket anymore. Mr. Cricket was now just a green mess on the floor. I surveyed the surrounding area for the culprit; there was a little blonde boy looking at the bottom of his shoe. I stared daggers at him._

"_Ew, gross! I got bug juice all over my shoe! Oh, well, at least he's dead."_

_I stared flaming daggers at him. Stupid kid…_

_Meanwhile, Jacob was standing at my side, laughing with his head thrown back, grabbing his sides._

"_Shut up."_

_It was now only two people until it was my turn to go through. I had better say goodbye._

_I turned to Jake. He had a crestfallen expression on his face. He knew what was coming. But before I could even get anything out, he had scooped me up into a rib-crushing hug._

"_I'll really miss you, Bella."_

"_I'll really miss you too, Jacob." My voice was thick, and there was a stupid lump in my throat._

_I didn't want to move. I wanted to stay and breathe in his woodsy, musky scent. But he let me go, because the person in front of me had just gone through the metal detector and I was still standing here with my shoes on._

"_Goodbye, Jake."_

"_Goodbye, Bella."_

"_You'll call me often, right?"_

"_Of course, Bella honey. You're my best friend."_

"_As I am yours. Always."_

Yes, I never really liked goodbyes.

**A/N**: I liked how it ended, so I kept it this length. I'll update later today with a longer chapter.


	4. Sightseeing

**A/N**: I was shocked at how many hits I got on this story after I posted yesterday's chapter. It was over four times the amount of the previous highest number of hits. I finally went over to the Twilight page and realized that my story had been at the top of the list for a while, because nobody had updated after me yet. Oh. Haha.

With nothing to do, I began to look at the papers that Jacob had given me, including the one that the flight attendant ran under a scanner before I was allowed to board. Oh. My ticket. Duh…skimming over it, I found out that the total flight time was about five and a half hours. We were changing planes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. So if this flight was taking off at about 7:15, that means I'd be in Chicago near one o' clock. Wow. At least I didn't have to go to school tomorrow. I continued to read over the rest of the papers, which were mostly just information about my airline. That took all of…20 minutes. I had nothing else to do. The plane had just taken off, and I decided to look out the window.

I guess I dozed off, because I woke up to the sound of the pilot saying, "Welcome to Minneapolis. Temperature is blah blah blah blaaaah." _Woah. I guess I'm still sleepy._

_Stupid small airplane space. _I was standing stooped, waiting for the two old ladies next to me to get their belongings out of the overhead compartment.

I made my way out of the airplane, down the hall, and checked my ticket to find out what gate I was to report to next. _F6._

On my way there, I passed by a little bookstore which was also selling newspapers, candy, drinks, and various souvenirs of Minneapolis. I suddenly found that I was really thirsty, and besides, I could use something to read if I didn't fall asleep again.

A little while later, I was leaving the airport store very satisfied with my purchases. I had picked up two books and a quart-size bottle of water. One of the books was about a girl who becomes a mute after being raped the summer before her freshman year, and the other book was about a girl who falls in a love forbidden with a vampire.

I continued on my way to the gate and settled in with the book with a girl's face and what looked like some type of drawing of a tree on the cover.

***

_Finally, I'm here._

Even with my little nap from the first plane, I was beginning to feel really tired. I just wanted to curl up in a big, soft bed…_concentrate, Bella._ _How did Jacob say his cousins looked?_ I remembered. Tall, long black hair, red brown skin, Native American of course…I scanned the crowd near the baggage claim and finally spotted a man who looked to be about Jake's height. Next to him stood a shorter woman, but she was still considerably tall. I made my way over to them.

The man had a buzz cut, and the length combined with the inky black color of his hair made his head look like it was covered in velvet. He was muscular, but still lean. He had his arm around the woman's waist, protectively, lovingly. The woman had odd colored hair. It was black with hints of indigo and hung with a slight wave to about her waist, but she was beautiful. She had a small frame and was currently looking up to the face of the man next to her. They were a beautiful pair. Then the woman's almond shaped eyes spotted me coming towards them, and she smiled a warm smile at me.

"Hello, you must be Bella. I'm Sam." It was the man who spoke first as he extended his hand towards me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sam." Sam had a nice voice. It was deep and resonant. I turned towards the woman.

"Hi. I'm Emily, Sam's fiancée." She too put her arm out in greeting.

"Hello Emily. It's a pleasure to meet you, too. When's the wedding?"

"It was originally going to be this March, on the first day of spring, but we moved it to July."

"Oh. So I'll be here for it, probably."

"Yes! You can come if you'd like. You can even help with the wedding plans."

I decided that I liked Emily. She was so friendly. "I'd like that."

"Okay, then. Well, you look tired, so let's get your bags and go home," she said just as Baggage Claim 2 started up.

Chicago was a pretty city at night. I'm sure it was also pretty during the day, but I have never been here before. As we drove we passed Union Station, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Sears Tower, and Buckingham Fountain.

The fountain was beautiful. There were red lights that lit up the fountain, and the four seahorses in front were illuminated by yellow lights. The red lights glowed in a funny way, making the water look purple. I would make it a point to come back here one night.

Before I had had enough of the pretty city, Sam turned onto a different street and I realized that were heading toward the suburbs. We pulled up to his and Emily's house a little bit later. It was a nice little house. The walls were red brick, and the shuttered front windows had flowerboxes beneath them with cheerful looking daisies, peonies, pansies, and candytufts. There was a front porch with three steps leading up to it, and a worn looking rocking chair was sitting on the porch.

Sam led me inside and Emily took me on a tour of the house, ending in a room which I assumed was be the one I would be staying in.

"And this is your room, Bella. I'll leave now and let you get some rest."

Then I was alone.

I retrieved my sweatpants and t-shirt from my duffel bag and rummaged around for my bag of toiletries. Not finding it, I looked in my suitcase. Bag of toiletries recovered, I went into the adjoining bathroom to change, brush my teeth, and wash my face. I finished up, but decided to go ahead and put my toothpaste in the medicine cabinet and shampoo and conditioner in the shower. I was going to be here a while, after all. When I finished with that, I walked into the bedroom.

That bed looked so inviting in all its large, quilt covered glory…I was out like a light. I remember glancing at the bedside clock before I went under, and it read 2:00. When I woke up the next morning it was 9:46.

I could smell…blueberry.

I got out of the bed and padded down the hall to the kitchen. Emily was standing at the stove moving eggs around a skillet, and there was a pan full of fresh blueberry muffins. My mouth watered at the thought. I realized that I didn't eat dinner last night.

"Good morning, Bella. Did you sleep well?"

"I slept very well, thank you, Emily."

"Here are some blueberry muffins, fresh out of the oven, and the eggs will be done in just a minute."

"Okay, I just have to brush my teeth."

Soon after, teeth and hair brushed, I returned to the kitchen. Emily was now spooning out the eggs onto two plates.

"Sam's not eating with us?"

"What? Oh, no, he left for work already."

"Oh. What does he do?" I was curious.

"He's like a police officer. Well no, not really…I would say a security guard, but he's not quite that either. He's more like…the eye behind the police force. He just keeps a hawk eye out for any suspicious activity around the city, but if the need comes up he will step in to help." Emily said this with adoration in her eyes. It was easy to see that they were deeply in love with each other; they were good together.

"That's nice. When does he come home?"

"About six o' clock. So what do you want to do today, Bella?"

"You don't have to do anything with me," I said, not wanting to impose.

"Nonsense! You're our guest for perhaps the whole summer. Now, what do you want to do?"

"I'd really just like to go to the city. You know, to sightsee and stuff. I've never been to Chicago before."

"Alright, once we finish breakfast and get dressed we can leave."

I was in a sudden hurry to finish my eggs and muffin now.

The only big cities I had been to were Phoenix and Seattle. And they were over near the West Coast anyways. The farthest east I had ever been was Albuquerque. Never mind the reason why I am now, but it was very interesting to see the different…well, everything.

The dishes were done, the extra muffins put away, and Emily and I were in the car and on our way downtown.

Our first stop was at the Navy Pier. Emily told me how it was constructed from the years 1914 to 1916 and was the world's largest pier at the time. My eyes went straight to the Ferris Wheel. With excitement in my eyes I turned to her and asked if we could go on. She happily agreed.

"I can see all of Chicago from up here!" I laughed as we neared the top.

"Look! There's our house!" Emily joked.

Ferris Wheels are fun.

After the Ferris Wheel, Emily and I just walked around for a while, enjoying the sights and sounds of the Navy Pier. Our next stop was at Shedd Aquarium. We arrived at about one, and there was a dolphin show at 1:30. I asked Emily if she liked dolphins.

"Yeah! They're probably my favorite animal of the sea." I then pointed to the sign advertising the show. She was ecstatic.

"OH! Bella! We _have _to go. Come on!" She commenced to drag me by the arm to the Oceanarium. I would miss Emily when I had to leave. Maybe we could be friends even after the summer was over.

Luckily for Emily I had a camera. If she hadn't been able to get some type of visual of the dolphins' beautiful jumps and twirls she would have been very upset, I think. After the dolphin show was over, we walked to the Coral Reef exhibit and looked around for a while. I was looking at a tank that had box jellyfish when my stomach grumbled.

"Hey, Emily? Do you think we could get some lunch?"

"I was fixing to ask you the same thing. Sure. I know this great little restaurant nearby."

She drove us to a place called Brisku's Bistro. It had a very pleasant feel to it.

As I was looking at the menu, I got a craving for a burger. The description said "An 8oz. hand packed patty--"_WHAT? 8oz.? I can't finish that…_

"Hey Bella, how do you feel about splitting a classic Brisku burger?" Emily said without looking up from her menu. _Damn, was this lady a mind reader?_

"Yes, I just saw how much meat they put in that thing."

"I know, right?" Just then the waiter came by.

About 15 minutes later, our burger came back cut in half. It was pretty tasty.

Our last stop after lunch was the Grant Park. Emily knew the history of this place, too. It was created after the Great Fire of 1871, when most of the debris had been pushed into the lake, creating the fill for what is now the park. There was a monument of Abraham Lincoln and—my fountain. Emily caught me staring at the beautiful structure and told me its history; it was commissioned in 1927 by Kate Buckingham to honor her late brother Clarence. She proceeded to tell me the physical facts of the fountain: a central jet shoots water up to 150 feet and is animated at night by a computerized choreography of colored spotlights.

_So that's what I had seen._

Emily began to walk towards the fountain and I made to follow her, but—being lucky, clumsy me—I tripped. I put my hands out to break my fall and avoid breaking my nose. I hit the ground, face unharmed, but as soon as I heard the impact I also heard something happen in my left wrist—several pops, followed by a small crack. I imagined my bones and joints all rolling around, out of place. The thought made me queasy. I quickly sat up on my knees and picked up my left arm in my right hand.

_Oh, yeah. There's something wrong with it. Damnit. _My hand would hang parallel to the ground if I held my arm up straight, but my hand was pointing straight to the left. That's wasn't right.

I quickly walked over to Emily and told her that we should probably go to the hospital.

"Why? What happened?" She said in a worried voice. That was when she caught sight of my upraised hand.

"Oh my god! Bella, what happened?"

"It's nothing, I'm just very clumsy."

A silly thought was in the back of my mind as we drove to the hospital. _I didn't get to see my fountain up close. _I scoffed at myself. The fountain wasn't important at a time like this.

Emily took me to the emergency room, even though I tried to plead that this wasn't a big deal. Maybe something in my wrist was just dislocated or something. We were already in the building and I was in the middle of another protest when I saw **Him**. Not _Him, _just **Him**, meant to be said…I didn't even know. In a way so that people knew he was worth something, but not in the superficial "Hey, that guy's wearing Calvin Klein, I bet he's filthy rich" way.He was beautiful. He had green eyes and bronze hair that was sticking up every which way in a very bedhead style. He was tall, yet a little shorter than Jacob and Sam. His skin was pale, about the same shade as mine. He looked strong; the muscles in his back were tensed as I saw him talking to a nurse. He looked angry, while the nurse looked patient. I idly wondered what the problem was…

"Bella! This way," Emily said as she grabbed me by my good arm and pulled me towards the desk, bringing me back to _my _problem.

I usually paid attention to what was going to happen when it medically concerned me, but I was distracted. Distracted by a facial expression…I wanted to see him smile. I'm sure it would be just as beautiful as when he was frowning. I tried to imagine what his smile would look like, but I don't think it did him justice. A doctor walked in the door, and I noticed that Emily and I were in a small room. He identified himself as Dr. Edward Masen Sr.

"Nurse Denali tells me that you," he paused, looking inside a manila folder, "severely dislocated your wrist? Let me have a look at it."

As Dr. Masen looked at my wrist, I looked at him. I had this strange sense of déjà vu, like I had _just _seen him, even though this was the first time I had ever met the man. He had vaguely familiar cheekbones…I gasped as I realized why I _had _just seen him—in a way.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, alarmed. Doctors aren't supposed to hurt their patients, at least not on purpose.

"No, no, I—I was remembering something I had been trying so hard to remember."

"Oh. Okay then…" he trailed off, a confused look on his face as he looked back down at my wrist.

Yes, I was pretty sure that Dr. Masen was related to the man in the front room. They had the same messy hairstyle; Dr. Masen's was even the same shade of bronze. Dr. Masen's eyes were not green, however. They were blue. The two had the same color of skin and the same build, but who I presumed was his son was leaner. I quickly finished my examination, not wanting to be caught staring when he looked up again.

"Bella, may I ask you what you did to hurt your wrist?"

"I fell."

"You fell? That's it?" He had a look of amazement on his face.

"Yes, sir," I said as I felt my cheeks getting hot.

"Nurse Denali was right, it seems. Several of your carpals are dislocated. I just need to pop them back in place, but you'll need to wear a brace for a while until the ligaments are strengthened again."

I nodded my head and thought back to health class to try and remember what carpals were. _Oh. Duh. They were the bones in my wrist_.

The relocation of my dislocations was kind of painful.

"Emily, here's a bottle of painkillers if Bella happens to need them. Just follow the instructions on the label," were Dr. Masen's last words as we walked out the door. _Did she know this family?_

I tried to ask the question without being too obvious. "So do you know any families with teenage sons or daughters? I could make new friends while I'm here…like Dr. Masen, do you know if he has any kids?"

"Dr. Masen? Yeah, he has three kids, two sons and a daughter. The daughter is your age I think, one of the sons is a year older, but the other is your age, too. Their names are Alice, Emmett, and Edward."

_Hmm. Emmett and Edward. I still didn't have a name to the face._

"There's actually this funny little story concerning the Masen family and the Cullen family. But it's not really my story to tell…" _Ah, so Emily wasn't a big gossiper. Yup, she definitely had good—if not best—friend potential._

"What if you told it only to me?"

"Well…sure, I guess. You see, the Cullens—Carlisle and his wife Esme—are foster parents. They adopted twins, and they're names are Jasper and Rosalie Hale. Jasper Hale is dating Alice Masen, and Rosalie Hale is dating Emmett Masen. Now there's a running joke between the families that poor Edward got the last pick, but was too late."

"Were any of Dr. Masen's kids there? In the hospital?" I was way too curious for my own good.

"Yes, actually. Edward was in the front room. Dr. Masen's wife was too. She was talking to Edward; Elizabeth is a nurse there." _Edward. Now I had a name to the face. That was his mom? I wasn't paying close enough attention…_

"Hey you know what? Sam and I were planning to have them over this weekend. We were going to invite the Cullens, too. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Emily, that's great. Like I said, I could make some new friends while I'm here."

Edward. Edward Masen. My unhealthy curiosity got the best of me, and I was suddenly very anxious for the coming weekend, all problems back at Forks forgotten for the moment.

**A/N**: Whew. That was a long chapter. Review, please. Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions.


	5. Dinner

It was pretty pathetic, the way I sat around waiting for Saturday evening to come. I didn't know anything about this Edward Masen. So why was I so goddamn anxious for Saturday's dinner? I couldn't answer that. But I found most of my thoughts consumed by his face. I sighed. _His face_. The only mental image I had of him was the one of his angry expression as he talked to his mother.

_That's why you want to see him so much, Bella. You want to see him happy, that's all._

My self-reassurance didn't work.

Jacob called me Wednesday night after Sam, Emily, and I had eaten dinner. I took my cell phone into what I now considered "my" bedroom. He asked how I've been.

"_Hey Bella!"_

"_Hey Jake. It's nice to talk to you."_

"_I'm glad to hear your voice. How have you been?"_

"_I'm fine, Jacob. It's only been…what? A whole day?" I asked sarcastically._

_I could almost see him stick his tongue out at me as Jake said, "I just wanted to know."_

"_It was fun. Emily and I spent the day together while Sam was at work. She's really nice and I really like her. Oh, I dislocated a couple of my carpals."_

_I immediately heard the worry in my voice as he asked, "What happened?"_

"I_ happened. I just tripped and fell while we were at the park."_

"_Oh, clumsy Bella."_

"_Shut up."_

"_So do you have anything planned this weekend?"_

"_Yeah, Emily and Sam are inviting the Masens and the Cullens over for dinner. Dr. Masen was the doctor who treated me this afternoon. Emily and I also saw one of his sons in the front room, talking to his mom. I haven't met any of the Cullens yet." No need to tell Jake of my borderline-scary interest in Edward…_

"_That sounds cool…" Jake trailed off and was silent for a few moments before he spoke again._

"_Bella…they found her," he said in a whisper. I didn't need to be told who 'her' was. He continued, "She was in the woods. This old man was walking with his dog; I think it was at the edge of his property. He saw her, and called the police."_

"_There in Forks?"_

"_No, this was up north, near Lake Pleasant."_

_I didn't know what to say. But at least it was a case, now—one that starts with little evidence, but it's a case. And now _Her _family knew what had happened to her_._ They could hold a proper funeral._

"_Thank you for telling me Jake. I have to go. I promise I'll call you tomorrow."_

"_Okay, Bella. Goodnight. Bye."_

"_Bye."_

_I had been planning on calling Charlie after I hung up with Jacob, but I wasn't in the mood for conversation anymore._

_When I went to sleep that night, I had nightmares again._

Depressed could best be used to describe the mood I was in most of Thursday. What did this mean about _Him_? Had _He_ gone north? I needed answers, but for now I wasn't going to get any. Only time would tell.

To distract myself from these dark thoughts, I helped Emily around the house. She was cleaning up, making the house look nice for Saturday. Tomorrow we planned to go to the grocery store, begin the dinner, and then perhaps go downtown with Sam. He always gets off around one on Fridays, I was told. So, 'depressed' I polished the wooden tables, wiped the windows clean, dusted the surfaces of various pieces of furniture and decorations, and mopped the floors. Emily gave me the indoor jobs while she worked around outside, mowing the lawn, weeding her flowerbox flowers, sweeping the walkway and front porch, and making the lawn look nice overall. When all of that was finished and the outdoors smelled like lawn clippings while the inside of the house smelled like lemon, we sat down to actually figure out what we were going to have for dinner.

After Emily had shot down my ideas for roast turkey, smoked ham, and lasagna, I figured something out about Carlisle and Esme; they were vegetarians.

"Okay, I have another idea. Well, two, actually, if you don't like the first idea. How about we make a complete vegetarian dinner? Like…ravioli di Portobello or an asparagus frittata with sautéed green beans on the side?" I liked to cook. And those were considered vegetarian-friendly meals, right? "But if not everyone is open to a complete vegetarian dinner, why not have some meat side dishes with a meatless entrée? Oh! I have the perfect idea: spaghettini with oil and garlic, with meatballs on the side."

"I like the spaghettini; let's do that. Do you know what we need?"

"No, but I know where to find the recipe."

"Go look it up then!" Emily shooed me away with a laugh.

***

Emily and I had just returned from the grocery store. We had spaghettini, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, fresh parsley, red pepper, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for the pasta, and white bread, milk, more cheese, more fresh parsley, ground sirloin, more garlic, and eggs for the meatballs. We were also planning to make tiramisu for dessert. I guess the running theme was Italian. It was nearing one o' clock.

"Do you really want to make anything today?" Emily asked with a reluctant expression on her face.

"Not really. Sam should be home soon anyways, right?" Emily nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Yup. What do you want to do when he gets home?"

"I'm not sure. I'd like to go to a park, or maybe just some more attractions downtown."

"Alright, we can—"The doorbell rang, cutting her off. Emily left the room to answer it.

I heard a squeal as the door was opened, followed by a hearty laugh. _Would I ever have a love like that? _I immediately stopped my thoughts right there. I was _not _some sappy little romantic girl. But it didn't stop me from wondering.

"Bella!" Emily shouted as she came back in the dining room. "Do you want to go to museums?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun."

And off we went, first to the Chicago History Museum, and then to the Field Museum.

"That was so cool to see Sue," I was saying as we walked out of the Field Museum, home to the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex ever discovered.

"It was. I like museums," replied Emily.

"I liked the Great Fire exhibit over at Chicago History better," Sam chimed in.

When we got back home, I called Charlie.

"Hi Bella."

"Hey Dad."

"How are things going?"

"They're going great. Sam and Emily are really nice; they treat me just like family. Today we went to the Chicago History Museum and the Fields Museum. I got to see Sue!"

"Sue?"

"Yeah, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex ever discovered." I quoted the knowledge I had learned when I read the plaque.

"Sounds like you had fun."

"I did. Tomorrow we're inviting the Masens and Cullens over to have dinner with us. Which reminds me—what have you been eating?"

"I fended for myself for ten years until you came along Bella, I'll be fine for a few months," he said indignantly.

"Whatever you say, Pops."

"Tell me more about these Masens and Cullens."

"I don't really know much about them besides what Emily told me. Edward Masen Sr. is a doctor and works at the nearby hospital. His wife Elizabeth Masen is a nurse there. They have three children, Edward, Alice, and Emmett. Carlisle Cullen is a doctor also, but works in a different hospital. Esme Cullen doesn't have a job; she's always stayed at home with their kids. They're foster parents. Carlisle and Esme have raised their adopted children, Rosalie and Jasper Hale, from about the age of two."

"Wow." Charlie sounded impressed. "They sound like good people."

"I've yet to meet them."

There was a lull in conversation; we didn't have much more to talk about.

"Alright Bells, call me tomorrow when you have a chance."

"I will Dad. Bye."

"Bye."

I grew tired. It had been a long fun-filled day. So I went to sleep. I didn't expect the nightmare tonight.

But it came anyway.

"_Bella...," the voice whispered._

"_Bella." It grew louder._

"_Bella!" It was so loud now, but not as if it was shouting. It was like the voice belonged to a set of earphones plugged into an Mp3 with the volume on high._

"_Bella, you have to run! Run! He's coming!" The voice was filled with fear. Not fear for whomever the voice belonged to; it was fear for _me. _Whoever _he _was, he was coming only for me._

"_I—can't. I can't run. I want to stay. I _have _to stay," I replied to the voice. I didn't know why; it was just this feeling that I had._

"_No, Bella! You have to run! Please, just run!"_

"_I can't! I don't want to! Just let me stay!"_

"_Bella! Run! Run. Run…" the voice faded away, the volume of the imaginary Mp3 decreasing._

_Then I saw the he who brought the fear. It was _Him._ I now understood why the owner of the voice had been telling me to run._

And thankfully, tonight, it ended there.

I never knew where I was in the nightmare. I couldn't remember if it was because it was so dark or simply because I never paid well enough attention. The nightmare brought questions: why didn't I want to run? Who did the voice belong to? Where was I supposed to run? Why couldn't I ever see the owner of the voice? I didn't know the answer to any of these questions; just like the questions that had come up when Jake told me of the news Wednesday night.

I glanced at the clock: 6:39. It was early, but late enough to get up. I got out of bed and, after brushing my teeth, went into the kitchen to fix myself a bowl of cereal to eat while I watched Saturday morning cartoons.

Sam was up only twenty minutes later; Emily was up near eight.

We didn't do much the whole day, just cleaned up a little more. Emily and I were to begin cooking at five o' clock, and dinner was set to start at seven.

"Hey Bella," she said as she walked in the living room, where I was reading, and continued, "You ready to start cooking?"

"Sure."

We made the tiramisu first.

Later, as Emily was moving the pasta from pot to bowl, Sam walked in and praised, "It smells great in here!"

It smelled like garlicky meat, with a hint of coffee lingering in the air.

Sam walked up behind Emily and wrapped his arms around her waist while saying, "I bet dinner is going to taste great tonight." He smiled at both of us.

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" I said, just when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it."

A good looking man was standing on the porch of the little house when I opened the door. There was an equally good looking woman next to him; the man had his arm around her waist. Coming up the walkway, away from a black Mercedes parked on the curb, were two blonde teenagers. The man had blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. The woman had curly caramel locks, hazel eyes, and a tanner skin tone than her husband.

I took a guess as to who they could be.

"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen?"

"Yes. And you must be Isabella, correct? Sam mentioned to me that he had company," the doctor answered.

"Bella, just Bella."

"Oh, my mistake. Hello Bella."

"It's fine; a lot of people call me Isabella when they first meet me. Only if a friend or relative tells them beforehand will a person usually call me Bella the first time we meet. Come inside, Dr. Cullen, Mrs. Cullen."

"Bella, any friend of the Uleys is a friend of ours," Mrs. Cullen spoke up. "Call me Esme. My husband's name is Carlisle. And here come our two kids; Bella, this is Rosalie and Jasper. Rosalie and Jasper, this is Bella. She's staying with Sam and Emily for the whole summer, I believe?" Esme said as she shot a questioning glance my way. I nodded to confirm her theory.

The boy was muscular, but leaner than Edward. _Oh wow, I'm comparing other guys to him now? Nice, Bella…_ He was still nicely sculpted, though. The boy had curly blonde hair and blue eyes that could've been mistaken for being inherited from Carlisle. The girl was beyond pretty; I felt my self-esteem drop a few levels as I looked at her. She too had blonde hair, and it was curled perfectly into large curls that fell gracefully halfway down her back. Her eyes were a grayish silver color. She had a body that made other girls fall into eating disorders. I laughed internally as the song Next Contestant by Nickelback popped in my head as I tried to imagine Rosalie and the unknown Emmett on a date.

"Pleased to meet you, Rosalie and Jasper."

"Likewise," they said simultaneously. _Cool_. I guess what was lacking in eye color they made up for in their speech.

I moved out of the doorway to let the family enter the house. They walked in the dining room and I heard happy greetings being exchanged between old friends.

After a few minutes, the doorbell rang again. My heart skipped a beat. _I'm pathetic. _I went to answer it, since I was standing in the middle of the living room still.

I was greeted by Dr. Masen.

"Hey, Dr. Masen."

"Hello again, Bella. How's that hand doing?"

"It's fine; I haven't really needed those painkillers."

"That's good. I'd like you to meet my wife and kids." He gestured to the woman next to him. Elizabeth had straight, dark brown hair and beautiful emerald eyes. She was slim and had a warm smile on her face.

"Hello Bella," she greeted me.

"Hi Bella!" perked up a small voice. It was then that I noticed the diminutive girl half hidden behind the doctor and his wife. She quickly squeezed in between them and hugged me. Her parents had apologetic expressions on their faces.

"It's so nice to meet you." She had inky black hair that flicked out at the ends in a style between a pixie cut and a bob. With the close proximity, I noticed that she smelled like flowers. Her eyes were brown.

"We're sorry. Alice can be a little…forward," said Elizabeth as she tugged at Alice's arm. I liked her, though.

A big, brawny guy walked up the porch steps. His hair was the color of his mom's, and was shaved in a buzz cut. He had the same brown eyes as his sister Alice. This guy was big…much bigger than the other men that I'd met while in Chicago. But Emmett wasn't quite as big as creepy bodybuilders, though; if he was, I don't think I could stand him.

Dr. Masen spoke to his son as he came nearer to us, "Emmett, this is Bella."

"So you're Bella, huh?" I nodded. _Obviously._ He had a smirk on his face, and I mirrored it.

"My dad told me how you dislocated some bones in your wrist because you tripped." My smirk was wiped from my face. Emmett laughed when he saw that.

"It happens to everyone," I said indignantly.

"It was just a joke, don't get all hot-headed," he said as he came over and gave me a hug just like his sister had. _People in Chicago were nicer than people in Forks. Well, nicer than Charlie's grumpy old co-workers._

"Is that true?" This different, amused voice shocked me. I tried to peek around Emmett as he released me. "I guess I missed that story yesterday," the voice continued. I came to a conclusion as to who the voice could belong to, and my cheeks grew hot.

"Aw, she's blushing! Look at what you did, Edward," Emmett mockingly chastised him, and then finally moved out of my way.

Edward was smiling.

My heart kicked up in pace. I heard Sam come up behind me and say, teasingly, "Aren't you going to move out of the doorway so that our guests can come in?"

I answered back, "I was getting to that," as I quickly moved aside to let the new family come inside. Emmett laughed at me again, Edward had that same crooked grin on his face, and Alice engaged me in a conversation about a new movie in theaters, _Obsessed_.

The Cullens were already seated as Sam, the Masens, and I walked into the dining room. Emily was walking around the table, spooning pasta onto each of the twelve plates. _I wonder if this is how it is daily for the family from _Cheaper by the Dozen. When she was finished, she set the bowl in the middle of the table, next to the bowl of meatballs and sauce. Sam led us in saying grace, and all that was heard for the next few moments was the clink of forks against plates and low requests of 'Can you pass the meatballs?'

"This is good," Elizabeth spoke up.

"Who's the cook?" Carlisle asked.

"Both Bella and I made it," Emily answered.

"So you cook, Bella?" I looked up to the green eyes of Edward, who just so happened to be sitting in front of me. _Aren't I lucky?,_ I asked myself sarcastically.

"Yes. My mom had some rather interesting, rather inedible meal ideas. After a while, she finally realized that her job as head chef just wasn't working out, so she handed it over to me. Then when I moved in with my dad, I found out that he couldn't even boil water if his life depended on it, so back home I always cook for him and me." He stared at me with a look of curiosity before finally looking back down at his plate.

The plates were cleared away after everybody had finished, and the tiramisu was brought out. This time, after everyone had been served, several Mm's and Ah's of delight were heard.

"Emily, Bella, this is delicious," complimented Jasper.

"Actually, only Bella made it." _What? But she had helped…_ I realized what she was trying to do. She was trying to get me noticed, stick some good qualities with my name so it would be easier to befriend these people.

"This confirms it. You are indeed an excellent chef, little Bella," Emmett joked.

"I'm not _that _little. But thanks, Emmett."

"You're welcome."

"This is very good, Bella," I heard Rosalie say.

"Bella, you're an awesome cook," Alice complimented next.

My cheeks grew hotter with each nice thing that came afterwards from Carlisle, Dr. Masen, Esme, Sam, Edward, and Elizabeth; I had never really liked attention.

"All I did was follow a recipe."

"There are a lot of good cooks out there, but I don't know, I guess you're just better than all the rest of them," Alice said.

"Thanks, Alice."

I helped Emily clear away the dishes this time, but we decided to wait until this evening or tomorrow to wash them.

The adults migrated to the living room, while the teenagers walked outside onto the front porch. Most of their eyes turned to me, filled with curiosity. Jasper was nice enough to look elsewhere, not wanting to add to my discomfort.

"What town was it that you're visiting from, Bella?" Rosalie asked me.

"Um, Forks. It's a little town on the Pacific Coast of Washington with a near constant cover of clouds and rain."

"What's it like?" she asked again.

"Small. It's pretty miserable, actually," I answered with a little smile. Rosalie smiled back. I saw Edward looking curiously at me again.

"What are your friends like?" was the next question, from Alice.

"My best friend is named Jacob Black. He's part of the Quileute tribe in La Push, a reservation near Forks."

"Wait, your best friend's an Indian?" I nodded. "That's so cool," said Alice in amazement.

"I have a friend named Angela; she's very nice. I have two other close friends: Jessica and Mike."

This mini interview continued a little while longer until the two couples of the group branched off, walking to perhaps the backyard, which was very pretty, what with Emily's garden and all.

Now it was only Edward and I on the front porch.

"Why did you move to that town, Forks?" He looked like he had been dying to ask this all night. "I mean, if you said it was miserable, why didn't—or why don't you move back with your mom now?"

It was a simple reason—out of love. Or rather, fear of losing love. I began my little story.

"My mom works at a daycare center. There was this one young girl who came in every morning and stayed at the daycare until her dad picked her up around two. That was how it had _always_ been. Always. Every day she would come in, and every day her dad picked her up at two o' clock. But one day, this little girl's dad didn't pick her up. It wasn't until five when her mom finally came and took her home. For at least three weeks after that, the girl didn't come in at all. My mom was sad; she was a sweet girl, and she was my mom's favorite kid at the daycare center. Finally, little Anya came back. My mom was helping her complete a puzzle when Anya turns to her and says 'My dad died of a heart attack'—all fucking blunt like that, too. Needless to say, my mom was taken aback. She told me about it that day after work, and I thought 'What if Charlie died of a heart attack tomorrow? What would I do?' It was then that I realized that I didn't even really know my father. So next month, I was on a plane to Washington."

I had been angry at myself when I realized that sad fact. Here I was, seventeen years old, and I didn't even know my father!

"That was a very adult thing to do. You seem so much older than you actually are, Bella." Edward looked at me with a mix of confusion, curiosity, and wonder.

"Funny. My mom used to tell me the same thing all the time. I feel so conceited. I've been talking about myself all night. I want to know about you," I told him, which was true.

"What do you want to know?"

"Um…have you always lived in Chicago?"

"Yup, born and raised here. Next question, please." _Geez, he sure handles attention with ease._

"Do you want to be a doctor, like your father?"

"Yes. I've always admired him, ever since I was a kid." I couldn't really think of any more important questions at the moment, so I turned to trivial matters.

"What's your favorite color?"

"What?"

"You heard me. What's your favorite color?"

"I don't really have one. But if I had to pick…I'd probably say blue. What's yours?"

"Green." Up until very recently, it had been purple.

I thought of a semi-important question. "When's your birthday?"

"June 20th. When's yours?"

"September 13th." Edward waited as I tried to think of another question to ask him.

Dr. Masen and Elizabeth walked out onto the porch, and Elizabeth said, "Edward, where is your brother and sister? It's late and we have to go."

"I think they're in the backyard." After Dr. Masen and Elizabeth walked away, Edward turned back to me and said, "It was nice getting to know you, Bella Swan. I hope we can hang out again; I'm sure my sister will want to." He said this with his crooked grin, which only grew as Alice came sprinting around the side of the house, up the porch steps, and over to where I was leaning against the rail.

"We have to leave. Do you want to hang out later this week?" I saw Edward give me an I-told-you-so look from over his sister's shoulder.

"Of course, Alice. I'm free from now until the end of summer." That brightened her little disappointed face. She threw her arms around me in one last hug, exclaiming, "Yay! I know we'll be great friends by the time you leave, Bella!" And with that she was off again, in the direction of the Masens' car.

"That's Alice for you." Edward sounded exasperated, but I saw the love and adoration he had for his sister in his eyes as he watched her tiny form, hardly visible in the oncoming twilight.

"I like her. So I'll see you later this week?"

"Most likely. Goodbye, Bella." He smiled before loping across the porch, down the steps, and into the darkness.

"Later, Bella!" I heard Emmett call out as I saw a large figure run past.

The Cullens left soon after them. Before leaving, Rosalie asked if Alice and I had exchanged numbers.

"Because she probably wants to hang out later this week, right?" I nodded my head.

Rosalie shook hers. "Silly girl, you need phone numbers to do that, doesn't she know?" she muttered to herself as she wrote down hers and Alice's cell phone numbers on a slip of paper. "Call us, Bella!" Rosalie said as she hurried to the car where Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper were waiting.

"Again, it was nice to meet you, Bella!" I heard Jasper say.

I felt excited for what the near future held in store.

A/N: I apologize if during that oh-so-long chapter a few things got confusing. I tend to get off track, sometimes. As always, feel free to share thoughts, opinions, critical remarks—you know, the whole nine yards.


	6. Angel

**A/N**: School is out all this week. They closed it down due to the swine flu. So that means I have more time on my hands! I'll try to get a few chapters out this week. You guys are so nice in your reviews. Thank you. I actually think this story is so cliché at times, but oh well. I write it as I go.

Alice called me the following morning.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey Bella!" I heard Alice's tinkling voice on the other line.

"Hi, Alice. What's up?"

"Do you want to do something after church? Like go to the movies, go shopping, or maybe show you around town, if you haven't been already?"

"Sure. I just have to tell Sam and Emily."

"Great! Well, either me or Rose will call you later, so keep your phone near you!" I heard someone in the background yell 'Alice! We have to leave!' Alice's voice was farther away from the phone as she answered, "Okay, Mom, just a few more minutes—. ' Elizabeth shouted, 'NOW. Church starts in ten minutes!' Alice's voice was near the phone again as she hurriedly said goodbye, "I have to go. Talk to you later, Bella."

"I'll see you later, Alice."

At around noon my phone rang again, and it was Rosalie who called me this time.

"Hi Bella," she said when I answered. "Alice _really_ wants to go see that movie _Obsessed_. She says she was telling you about it yesterday?"

"Yeah, she was. I remember."

"Okay, there's a showing at 1:20 and another at 2:20. Do you want to see the 1:20 showing?"

"Yes."

"Alice and I will pick you up around 12:45. Be ready!" And then the line was dead.

My new friends sure were very take charge people. But I liked them.

I took a shower. My shower was short; I still had half an hour before Rosalie and Alice arrived. I had already been eating lunch when Rosalie had called. I decided to blow dry my hair. When it was no longer damp and near impeccably straight, I glanced at my watch; it read 12:40. I hurried to put my shoes on, and just after I had slipped them on, the doorbell rang.

"Sam! Emily! Rosalie and Alice are here!" I called out as I raced towards the front door. The doorbell rang again. _Impatient much?_

"Bye, Bella," Sam said from where he was seated on the living room couch.

"I'll see you guys later," I said as I faced him, then turned away when I had the door open, and proceeded to run outside. But I met a brick wall. I rebounded against it and fell to the floor.

"Oof," I landed with a thud.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't expecting you to come barreling out the door like that," apologized a smooth and velvety voice.

Edward was here.

In confusion I looked up and asked him, "What are you doing here?"

"Am I not welcome on this little outing that you three have planned?" he asked, that crooked grin spreading across his face as he held out his hand to help me up.

"Well, no, but…won't you be the only guy?"

"No, I won't, actually. Alice asked Jasper if he wanted to come, and he agreed. Rosalie invited Emmett when she found out that Jasper was coming." I was still sitting on the floor, and I heard a car outside honk its horn. I peered around Edward's legs and saw a cherry red BMW convertible sitting at the Uleys' curb. Rosalie waved from the driver's seat, and I waved back. I then saw a silver Volvo in the Uleys' driveway. I finally realized Edward still had his hand out, waiting for me to take it to help myself up. I quickly grabbed it.

"Slow reaction time?" he teased.

"I _was_ admiring that little Volvo outside, but you know what? I've decided that I don't like it." I marched past him and down the walkway, making my way toward Rosalie's BMW.

"Bella, you're not riding with Rose."

"And why not?" He nodded his head toward the back seat. Alice and Jasper were occupying the space. Oh. _Damn it. _"Is that supposed to mean that I'm going to have to ride with you?"

"Yes. That's why I came to the door to get you." _Ah_, I thought as realization dawned on me.

"It's 12:50. We should get going," I said, changing my course of direction. I waited by the passenger door while he walked quickly and gracefully around to the driver's side. It was indeed a nice car. The car had been running, and the air conditioner had kept it cool inside. The seats were upholstered in leather. We rode in silence.

Edward finally spoke up. "You don't take teasing very well, do you?"

"Most of the time, no."

"All the more reason for Emmett to do it—just a heads up. If you're going to be around a lot, I thought I should let you know."

My silly little heart jumped for joy at his words of 'you're going to be around a lot.' A nagging voice in the back of my head that sounded like an odd mix of Jacob, Charlie, and myself began to say something, but I pressed it back for now.

"Thanks for the warning. You know, I never finished asking you my questions yesterday."

"As I recall, you couldn't come up with anymore." I stuck my tongue out at him in response to his remark. He got this funny look in his eyes before looking back at the road in front of him.

"Tell me more about Alice and Emmett."

"That's not a question." I shot him a look.

"Alice's real name is actually Mary Alice, but we all call her Alice. It's always been like that. Sometimes you might hear me use the nickname Ali. She loves shopping—_really_ loves shopping. She might rope you into going with her one day. Emmett is a big jokester. He loves making other people laugh. Sometimes, not often, it can go a little too far at other peoples' expense, but that's rare. He's really a nice guy. Remember that," he said, giving me an apologetic look with his last two words.

"I will. Or at least I'll try. What's your full name?"

"Edward Anthony Masen. May I ask what is yours?"

"Isabella Marie Swan."

"Isabella Marie Swan," he repeated. "That's a nice name."

I blushed at his comment. Thankfully, he didn't look my way. Again, I was drawing a blank as to what to ask him.

"I can't think of anything else…"

"That's okay. That just means that I get to know more about you. When you think of something else, though, you can always interrupt me. Do you like to read?"

"Yes, very much so. At the moment I'm in the middle of two different books. One is about a girl who gets raped the summer before her freshman year; I think it's called _Speak_. The other is about a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire. Argh, I can't remember the name." I racked my brain for what the name could be, but I couldn't remember.

"They sound good. Have you ever read _East of Eden_? I finished it last week."

"No, but I heard it was really good. Do you recommend it?"

"I liked it. Yes, I recommend it very much."

"I'll keep that in mind. I've thought of another question. What would you do if you thought that someone might be after you?" He seemed confused at my question.

"Well…I—we're here. I promise I'll answer your question later, though."

Edward found a parking space and Rosalie parked in the empty one next to us.

"I've wanted to see this movie _forever_!" I heard Alice saying as she climbed out of the car. She ran up next to me and we started to talk as the group walked to the ticket stand.

"Six for Obsessed at 1:20, please," Emmett said to the employee behind the glass window. Poor girl, she looked so shocked at his size and beauty.

"Uh—th—that'll be fifty-one dollars." Emmett reached in his wallet and pulled out three twenties. I reached my hand out to stop him, clutching my eight dollars and fifty cents, but Edward leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"You're a guest. We all gave our money to Emmett, and then we all pitched in for your expense. Just put your money away, Bella."

"But—fine." I had a plan.

We had plenty of time to spare, so our group went to stand in the snack line. It wasn't long before we were up at the counter. I laughed as Emmett picked out Sour Patch Kids, Twizzlers, medium popcorn, a Nerds rope, a box of Butterfinger bites, and a Diet Coke, of all things. Rosalie got a bottle of water as did Jasper, but Alice picked out a box of Whoppers. The girl didn't need any more sugar in her system. Edward got medium popcorn, telling me we would share. As the cashier was ringing all this up, I saw someone in my peripheral vision move to give money to the employee. But I was already ready. The person stopped moving as I shoved my cash at the cashier.

"Bella," I heard Edward mutter.

"Yes?" I said innocently.

"You. Are. A. Guest. I'm going to pay you back," he said, pulling out his wallet.

"No you aren't, because I'm not going to take it. Just put your money away, Edward." I smiled smugly at him.

Emmett chose then to say, "I'm not sharing."

***

"So Alice, did that movie live up to your expectations?" Jasper said as we walked out of the movie theater.

"Yup. It was great. Now what do you guys want to do?" She turned to face the rest of us as soon as we were finally out the doors.

"Bella's the _guest_. Let her choose," Edward said.

"Well there is this one park that I really want to go to. Grant Park?"

"Oh, that's just down the street. Let's go."

Edward didn't say much on the drive over there. Though I did hear him mutter something to himself, something that sounded oddly like, "I'll find a way."

I wasn't the one to open my own door when Edward parked this time. I saw a hand, and I followed it up an arm, to a shoulder, up a neck, and finally to a pair of sparkling green eyes.

"I try to be chivalrous," he said, grinning crookedly at me. I smiled back up at him as I took his hand and helped myself out of his car.

I saw my fountain. I thought about making a break for it, but I remembered what had happened when I was _walking_ towards it. So I stayed put. Everybody else seemed to take geological ages to move. I began to move forward, but something held me back. I realized that I was still holding Edward's hand and released it quickly. I saw Alice run ahead holding Jasper's hand. Once they reached the edge of the fountain, she stuck her hands in the water and began to play. Alice was adorable; she looked so much like a little kid.

The rest of us caught up to them soon after.

"It's a beautiful fountain," Edward said as he came to stand next to me. _It doesn't compare to you._ I had decided to let the pathetic, romantic side of me rule over when it came to Edward.

A beautiful fountain and a beautiful boy…boy wasn't the right word. Man wasn't quite right either; it sounded too old for a seventeen year old. _Angel_. _Oh, like that's really so much better than boy or man_. But I found myself liking it. My angel…my fountain. My angel turned to smile at me. I smiled back. The voice in my head started to speak again; I didn't shut it out this time.

"_Bella, this is wrong."_

"Why?" I battled back inside my head.

"_You know why."_

"No, I don't know why. Please inform me."

"_You shouldn't get attached to anyone here. At least, not now. What would you do if _He_ came tomorrow and found out how much you really like Edward_?"

I couldn't answer; I didn't have an answer.

"_See? Don't do this. Trust me, it's better this way."_

The voice was quiet after that. I could think clearly now.

Was I willing to resist? Was I willing to become standoffish, to shut Edward out? Even if I was, would I have the resolve to remain in that mindset for the rest of the summer? And what about my other new friends? Alice obviously really liked me. Rosalie not as much, but given time we could become good friends. I enjoyed Emmett's humor, even if it did stem from something I did. Jasper was a considerate guy; I could grow to like him just as much as Emmett. So it all boiled down to one question: could I shut myself out of their world?

No, I couldn't.

I was going to go against the advice of the voice in my head. I didn't care what happened in the future because of my choice.

I was so stupid.


	7. Fireworks

**A/N**: I just finished watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Yeah, because uh, I just felt like rewatching it, you know? Yup, no particular reason for rewatching it.

* * *

I wasn't willing to stay out my new friends' world.

But that didn't mean I had to bring them into mine.

I didn't know what I was going to do.

What I did decide to do wasn't the right thing. I couldn't handle it at first. I became distant; I hadn't yet figured out how much it was of myself that I could let them see, hadn't yet found the line that separated a _good_ friend from a _close_ friend.

This all just confused me even more. Did I have to cut myself off from Sam and Emily as well? Well Emily, more so. _Damn. I'm so confused._

***

The days went by in a blur. I was shocked to wake up and find out that it was the Fourth of July weekend.

"Good morning, Bella," said a chipper Emily. I guess she didn't take my distant behavior to offense.

"Good morning, Emily. I'm sorry I've been acting so…weird."

"No worries, Bella. What's did is done, forgive and forget, and all that. Sam's not upset either. Hey, you know that tomorrow is Fourth of July, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. We'll be doing stuff today and maybe tomorrow."

"Like what?"

"Well, Taste of Chicago is still running. I was thinking we could get together with the Cullens and the Masens and go there. That's at Grant Park, and tonight there will be a fireworks show at 9:30 at Grant also. But if you wanted to see fireworks on the actual Fourth of July, then there's a show tomorrow at Navy Pier at 9:30. Then again, we could always see both shows. What do you think?"

"Oh, uh…hmm…I kind of want to see both. Is that fine?"

"Of course, Bella. I brought it up, didn't I?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess you did."

"Great. I'll call the doctors right now." She walked away, and I called Alice.

"Hello?"

"Hey Alice."

"Bella! It's so nice to talk to you again."

"I'm sorry for the past few weeks. I just—I don't know."

"Don't worry about it," she said. People were being much nicer to me than I deserved. "So what's up?"

"We're doing something this weekend. I'm sure you'll find out very soon," I said just as I heard Dr. Masen call Alice's name.

"Hey, I got to go. I'll call you back later. Bye!"

It didn't take too long for Alice to call me back.

"That sounds like fun! We're all going."

"That's great. I have to call Jacob, my dad, and Rose. I'll see you later, Alice."

"Okay, Bella. Bye."

I hung up the phone and decided to call Jacob first.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jacob."

"Bella?" He sounded…worried?

"It's me. I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Jacob. I'm fine. I'm going out for Fourth of July."

"With who?" He sounded curious.

"Oh! No, it's a big group outing. We, the Masens, and the Cullens are getting together again."

"That sounds like fun. Oh, hey, I heard a joke from Quil yesterday. You want to hear?"

"Sure."

"Okay. One summer, a blonde went down to Lake Isabella, an hour east of Bakersfield, California. She was new to boating, and couldn't get her brand new 22-foot Bayliner to perform. It was very sluggish, no matter how much power she applied. She finally drifted into a nearby marina, hoping one of the guys there could tell her what was wrong. A thorough inspection revealed that everything topside was in working order, so one man jumps into the water to take a look at the bottom. He almost choked on water, he was laughing so hard when he came up. Under the boat, still securely strapped in place, was the trailer." He began chuckling as he finished his joke. I laughed along with him.

"I don't think my friend Rosalie would like you very much if you told her jokes like that. She's blonde." This made him laugh harder, which in turn made me laugh harder.

"Oh well. Her loss. I'm a great person." I snorted. "What?" he said.

"Sure you are. That is, when you're not sarcastic or telling offensive jokes about people. I have to call Charlie. I promise I'll call you later, either tonight or tomorrow. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Bella."

_Beep beep. _My battery was dying. I plugged in my phone before I called Charlie.

I heard a lengthy yawn when he picked up the phone. I laughed.

"Hey, Dad. Did I wake you up?"

"No, of course not. I've been up for hours," he said, just as another yawn came.

"Quit lying, Dad. Call me back later when you're awake."

"Uh-huh, don' worry, I'll mage sir uvit," he sleepily slurred.

"Bye, Dad." In response I got a yawn, and then the line went dead. I began to laugh again.

I called Rosalie next.

"I can't come to the phone right. Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!" Rosalie's voicemail said to me.

"Hey Rosalie, it's Bella. I'm sorry for the past few weeks. I'm better now. I'm pretty sure that Carlisle has or already is telling you about our Fourth of July plans. I hope you can come! Call me back later."

I didn't have much else to do, so I waited for the late afternoon to roll around.

"Bella, you ready to go?" Sam asked as Emily hurried around the house, making sure all the doors were locked. She had heard that there had been recent robberies nearby.

"Yup. I have my phone, I have my sunglasses," I said as I picked up my black wayfarers.

"Em, you ready?" he called.

"All the doors and windows are locked. Yes."

We met up with the others at the stand for Oak Street Beach Café. Not in the mood for the food there, Jasper, Edward, and I walked to the stand for Tiparos Thai Cuisine. Jasper and Edward got pad thai, but I found I didn't have much of an appetite.

I was actually feeling pretty ill, but I was going to stick it out. I didn't want to leave the fun. I'm quite a stubborn person. So we met back up with the others and continued our walk through Taste of Chicago. Dinner time came, but I still had no appetite. It was 9:15 when the families decided to find a spot on the grass.

"Over here, Bella!" Alice called me over, sitting next to Jasper and holding his hand. "I've always loved fireworks, haven't you?"

We chatted, and then the show started.

***

I woke up this morning not feeling much better than when I went to sleep yesterday. But yet again, I wasn't going to skip out.

I walked around the house giddy at the thought of seeing Edward yet again; twice in two days! Nobody felt like exploring the Pier so we were just going to watch the show, hang out, and go home.

My heart was in tune with the clock today, it seemed. At the set departure time of 9:00, it bounced around in my chest. _Settle down, heart. _I myself bounced in my seat as Sam drove to the pier. I had this strange sense that something exciting was going to happen tonight. What it was and who it concerned I didn't know, but _something _was going to happen. I just knew it.

Sam and Emily strolled their way down the pier to the Ferris wheel where the Cullens and Masens were to meet us. I, on the other hand, power walked. I said my hellos to Rosalie, Jasper, Edward, Alice, and Emmett first, and then turned to greet my friends' parents. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was 9:22.

"Ooh, hurry! We're gonna miss the show!"

"Bella, what's gotten into you today? You've been so jumpy and excited," Emily said in amusement.

"I don't know. I guess I just…like fireworks." Lame answer, but I didn't even know a truthful response to that question.

"We don't need to hurry. We can watch it right from the pier. There are some benches over there where we can sit," Carlisle explained.

"Oh. Okay. Let's go sit, then!" I took a few steps forward, turned back, and when I saw that nobody was following me, said, "Come on!" I heard someone snicker, but I ignored it. _Probably Emmett, _I thought.

When I sat down, Rosalie and Edward sat around me. Edward turned to me and was about to say something, but the first crack of the first firework was heard, so he mouthed, 'Tell you later.'

Fireworks rock. They're so pretty. All of the teenagers 'oohed' and 'ahed' at the fantastic explosions of color in the sky. I marveled over the ones that fell like fountain water. The rays of light arced and dissipated, again and again. Too soon, the show was over. I looked around and saw Emily engrossed in a conversation with Elizabeth, while Sam looked like he was telling a story to Carlisle. Dr. Masen and Esme were also engaged in a conversation.

"Looks like everybody's busy. Would you like to take a little walk with me?" _Of course, my angel. _I laughed at myself in my head.

"Yes." Edward and I didn't walk far down the pier. We could still the laughter and chatter of our family and friends. He looked down at me and once again opened his mouth like he was going to say something.

That was when it hit me. A wave of dizziness, nausea, and a cold chill all at once; I turned to lean over the railing, and a thought ran through my head that maybe I was leaning a little too far. My hearing became fuzzy, but I could still see with perfect clarity. That was why, when I turned my head to look at Edward, I could see the blond hair that haunted my nightmares a good hundred yards away. I jerked my eyes away and back to Edward, who had panic in his eyes, which only heightened as he saw the panic and fear that I was sure was in my own eyes.

"It's okay, Bella, let's just get you back to my father." He pulled at my arm, but I wouldn't budge. "If you don't want to move right now, at least come back over the railing." He tugged again, but I still wouldn't move. "Please, Bella!" There was a slight note of hysteria creeping into his voice.

I looked back to the spot where I had seen _Him._ But he wasn't there anymore. I scanned the area quickly, but he was still nowhere in sight. _Maybe it was just a simple mist—no. No, no, no…_I moaned in my head. _He_ was even closer than he was before. Now he was only about twenty yards away.

"Dad! Dad, hurry, come quick! Bella needs help!" Edward was panicking. I longed to calm him down. He didn't have anything to panic about. There was no crazed man after him.

Until now, that was. I realized that with the sick, chilling thought that it might actually be true. _He _had seen Edward's cry to his father; _He _had seen the heads of every single one of them: Elizabeth, Emily, Dr. Masen, Esme, Carlisle, Sam, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, and Emmett snap towards our direction with the shout of my name dripping with terror. _He _now knew who I hung out with. But at least he didn't know who was related to my angel…I think. I hadn't seen Dr. Masen make any move in our direction yet. He didn't get a chance to move alone; everybody got up and hurried over, but not before I took one last look at _Him._ He caught me looking at him and smiled.

I felt the floor under my feet and the railing under my stomach disappear as everything went black, and I went under.

* * *

**A/N**: Ooh, cliffhanger. I'm sorry about the long wait. I was out of town this weekend and last weekend, and I didn't have much time to write during the week. Today I didn't feel good and I stayed home from school, so I took the chance to finally finish this chapter. I like the ending. :) I don't know yet if I'll be able to update this weekend, but we'll see. Only this week and next week left of school! Whoo hoo! Then I'll have a lot of time on my hands.


	8. Random

_Definitely _not _how I pictured our first kiss._

I was leaning over the unconscious, unbreathing body of Bella—a horrifying sight—and was blowing air into her mouth. I began the compressions again after I blew the second rescue breath in her mouth, inflating her lungs.

_I am so very glad that Dad made me learn CPR._ I could still remember what happened. I couldn't get rid of the image of Bella falling into the black lake—into the darkness.

"_Dad! Dad, hurry, come quickly! Bella needs help!" I yelled to my father. I walked a few steps away from Bella and raised my arms over my head to get his attention, in case he hadn't heard my cry. Everyone's heads turned—my family's, the Uley's, and the Cullen's. They had heard me._

_I turned around to walk back to Bella and somehow get her to come back over the railing, but before I took one step, I caught a look of sheer _terror_ on her face. She looked so scared—just scared to _death. _The terror in her eyes suddenly vanished. I watched her, wary of what might happen, and I saw her face relax and her eyes close. _Maybe she's fine again_, I thought to myself. What I saw next would haunt me, perhaps, forever._

_Her hand slipped.  
__Her feet left the floor.  
__She fell soundlessly into the water._

I was brought back to reality when Bella started coughing and spitting up water. I rolled her over onto her side quickly so she wouldn't choke. She wasn't awake, but at least she was breathing. The EMTs had just arrived. They put her onto a stretcher and carried her away to the ambulance. I had a fleeting vision of Bella being put into the back of an ambulance, still and white as a ghost, broken and bleeding…_What the hell am I thinking?_ I shook my head to clear it and got up off my knees. _It's the adrenaline. It's messing with your head._

"May I ride in the back with her? She's…a dear friend of mine." I suppose I was lucky to be able to ask a female. Alice was always making jokes about the effect I had over women. Sometimes I believed her; the woman had an expression of awe on her face.

"Ah…you the man who pulled her out?" I nodded. She nodded in response to my question. I hopped in the back and the woman got in after me, shutting the door. I saw the others still standing at the edge of the pier, their faces mirroring each other's, expressions of worry.

I looked down at the stretcher at Bella. My eyes roamed over her face, her skin, her sopping wet clothes…I realized that she must be freezing. I saw a slight shiver shake Bella's body, confirming my thoughts.

"She your girlfriend? I mean, I'm not assumin' anything or nothin', but I was watching the way you were lookin' at her…"

"No. She's not my girlfriend."

"People sho' could think otherwise…" the lady said in a sing-song voice with her country twang. I was becoming increasingly embarrassed.

"Well—I, uh—well, yeah, I mean—but—but—I really like her. I just met her a little over a month ago. We're just good friends. That's it." _And I'm telling this all to a stranger why?_

"Take her somewhere when she gets out of the hospital. And I mean it!" I cracked a smile at her orders. What a lovely old country lady. She had quite a character.

"Hm. Maybe…" We were silent after that. My mind wandered back to earlier events.

_I tore off my shoes as quick as I could and dove over the railing after Bella. I heard gasps of shock and one lone onlooker who cheered, "You go get her, boy!" There were some pretty strange people in Chicago…_

_I hit the water and for a moment all I could see was black. It was everywhere—beneath me, next to me, above me. It wasn't just everywhere; it was every_thing_. My head finally broke the surface and I took in a quick breath of air and went under again. I had to find Bella…but how could I when all I could see was nothing? I estimated that I hadn't landed far from where she hit the water. I started moving, spreading my arms and legs as far as they could go, to try to touch a lock of hair, maybe grasp a hand. I probably looked like a retarded seal or something, with the way I was swimming._

_I swam as long as I could, but I had to have more air. When I replenished my air supply, I was back to frantically searching for Bella, endlessly it seemed. Finally, my outstretched hand touched something, a stringy whisper against my hand: hair. I turned towards the right, where I had felt it. _

_The hair was gone. _

No_, I thought. I swam forward and I felt the wet, dense fabric of Bella's blue sweater. I swam a little farther forward and grabbed hold of Bella's waist. When I had a good grip, I kicked for the surface._

A faint clicking sound interrupted my thoughts. I thought it was some type of device in the ambulance, but as I looked around, I could see that nothing was on. I glanced at Bella; her teeth were chattering.

"Do you have a blanket? Or a sheet, a towel, something?"

"Yeah, there's a blanket right here. You cold?" I shook my head and pointed at Bella.

"Oh…don't worry, we'll get her into somethin' dry once we reach the hospital." She threw the scratchy faded blanket—looked more like a sheet to me—over Bella. It didn't help much. We had just reached the hospital anyways.

I had to stand and watch as the doctors wheeled Bella away on her gurney.

It was a grim sight.

-|-|-|-

God, it was cold. And dark. Cold and really really dark.

Not a good combination.

Were my eyes even open? Where was I? I could make out the sounds of voices and a siren, but everything kept fading in and out. I knew I was lying on the ground, and I could feel the presence of someone kneeling beside me. I also felt wet. My head hurt, my throat hurt, my nose hurt, my Soaking wet, cold, in pain, and it was still so _dark_.

What a memorable Fourth of July.

***

I could feel myself being moved. I still didn't know exactly where I was. It was all slowly coming back to me, however. I could remember the pier, the fireworks, Edward and I talking, my families, how ill I suddenly felt…_His_ face. I could remember _His_ face. I could remember the terror on Edward's face as he saw my terror. And then I fell…

That was it! I remembered it all now. I must have fallen over the edge and into the lake. Who pulled me out? I don't know. At the moment, I couldn't care less. The pain was coming back. I wanted to sleep.

-|-|-|-

I was sitting by Bella's bedside. That lumpy, creaky hospital bed looked so uncomfortable. I was waiting for her to wake up.

She stirred, and I waited. Her eyes opened. Her eyes…

Her shock.  
Her recognition.  
Her smile…  
All teeth and sparkling eyes…

God, she could smile.

"Hi, Edward. What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you to wake up." A slight blush crept up her cheeks at my comment. What about could she be embarrassed?

"Who pulled me out? Who pulled me out of the water?"

"I did." Bella's eyebrows shot up in surprise. I had to suppress a chuckle; her surprised expression was so funny.

"Oh…thank you. Thank you so much. I probably wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you." She reached her hand over the bed's rail and placed it on my knee. It was a good feeling.

"You're welcome, Bella. But…you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but why were you so frightened? What did you see?" A look of uncertainty passed across her face. Bella's brown eyes glazed over with the memory of that something that she had seen.

"Nothing. It was nothing. I was just scared of getting sick, I guess." She gave me a tight smile; I think Bella knew that I knew that she was lying, but I changed the subject for her sake.

"Remember that question you asked me a while back? That time that we all went to see _Obsessed_? I never answered it did I?" She shook her head no. "I have an answer now. If I thought someone might be after me, I would…find a way to protect everyone that I loved. I would try not to tie them to myself, so my follower couldn't do anything to them, if he was that kind of follower. But," I smiled at her, "if my follower was more of the stalker type, I would simply get a restraining order against them." She giggled.

"Do you know when I get to go home?"

"Well, Dr. Gerandy wanted to keep you here for a while longer, because you took so long to show any signs of coming around. You're lucky my dad works here; you can go home this afternoon." Bella looked confused for a moment.

"What day is it?"

"Monday."

"No, what _number_ day is it?"

"July 6th."

"Wow. I've been all out of it, haven't I?"

"Maybe just a bit. You almost woke up a few times yesterday, but you continued sleeping…you talk a lot in your sleep." Her eyes grew as wide as saucers. Again, I had to suppress a laugh.

"What did I say?" Bella said in a clipped tone.

"Nothing much. Little meaningless snippets of your dreams, I guess. At first, you were complaining about the cold and the darkness. Then you were muttering something about a memorable Fourth of July." I didn't tell her about the way she seemed to cower away from something in her dreams. I kept that to myself.

"Oh." She sounded relieved.

"I'm going to go find out from my dad exactly when you can leave. I'll be back later."

I smiled at Bella before I walked out of the room.

-|-|-|-

This time, when I woke up, it wasn't dark anymore.

It was the exact opposite.

Instead of being so dark, everything was bright. At first, all I saw was white, everywhere. I turned my head and saw two emerald green circles. _What is that?_ I lay there, staring at the circles, when they flickered. _What _are_ those? _I was a bit shocked. I was in an all-white room, which I was sure belonged to a hospital, and then there were two random green eyes looking at me—eyes! I immediately knew whose eyes they were.

What a lovely green to wake up to.

I blinked a few more times to get rid of the bleariness that comes with the departure of sleep.

I rolled over and greeted the angel at my bedside, "Hi, Edward. What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you to wake up," he answered. I felt my skin heat up with his response. Remembering that he had been with me at the pier, I searched for answers I didn't know in an attempt to draw attention away from me.

"Who pulled me out? Who pulled me out of the water?"

"I did." I was surprised. I didn't know Edward was the one to have jumped in after me. Now that I thought about it, I couldn't see why I didn't think that before. It should've been staring me in the face all along.

"Oh…thank you. Thank you so much. I probably wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you." I reached over to put my hand on his knee and gave him a sincere smile.

"You're welcome, Bella. But…you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but why were you so frightened? What did you see?" I couldn't tell him that.

"Nothing. It was nothing. I was just scared of getting sick, I guess." I smiled a smile that didn't feel too real; I think Edward knew it. Thankfully, he changed the subject anyway.

"Remember that question you asked me a while back? That time that we all went to see _Obsessed_? I never answered it did I?" I shook my head as he waited for confirmation. "I have an answer now. If I thought someone might be after me, I would…find a way to protect everyone that I loved. I would try not to tie them to myself, so my follower couldn't do anything to them, if he was that kind of follower. But, if my follower was more of the stalker type, I would simply get a restraining order against them." I had to laugh at the end of his answer. Edward had a way of keeping the conversation from straying too far from light and easy.

"Do you know when I get to go home?"

"Well, Dr. Gerandy wanted to keep you here for a while longer, because you took so long to show any signs of coming around. You're lucky my dad works here; you can go home this afternoon."

"What day is it?"

"Monday."

"No, what _number_ day is it?" It had been July 4th when I fell off the pier…

"July 6th."

"Wow. I've been all out of it, haven't I?"

"Maybe just a bit. You almost woke up a few times yesterday, but you continued sleeping…you talk a lot in your sleep." _Uh-oh. Not good_. My mom always used to tease me about that habit; I would sometimes say things that I otherwise wouldn't say out loud.

"What did I say?"

"Nothing much. Little meaningless snippets of your dreams, I guess. At first, you were complaining about the cold and the darkness. Then you were muttering something about a memorable Fourth of July." I was glad I hadn't said anything about my nightmares.

"Oh."

"I'm going to go find out from my dad exactly when you can leave. I'll be back later."

My angel smiled his crooked smile at me before he left the room.

A little while later, he walked back in, sharing the news that I was going to be able to leave by three o' clock, at the latest.

Alice rushed in and collapsed on my bed, hugging me and saying how worried she had been. I couldn't help but laugh at her comment of 'I thought that I would never be able to take you shopping!' She glared at me. Jasper was with her and leaned down to give me a hug and tell me how glad he was that I was still here.

Emmett was my next visitor.

"Look at you, huh? You're alive!" He imitated Dr. Frankenstein with added hand movements.

"Nice, Emmett," said Rosalie, walking in.

"What?" He laughed.

"Hi Bella. How are you feeling?"

"I feel good—"

"I knew that I would! I feel good. Woah! I knew that I would. Da-na-na-na-na na-na-na! So good, so good, I got you!"

"Shut up, Emmett!" Rose yelled.

"Gosh. I was just trying to cheer up the patient." Rosalie glared at Emmett as he walked to stand innocently in the corner.

"It's alright, Rose. It was pretty funny," I said, smiling at the kid in time-out.

***

It was good to be home.

As soon as I got home, I jumped in the shower. I never got to really clean up after my accident. The hot water felt nice, and my strawberry shampoo had never smelled better.

I called Renee when I got out. We chatted for a while, and after she hung up I called Charlie. He told me that he had gone fishing with Billy that morning. Hearing that had me calling Jacob after I ended the call. I didn't tell him that I had seen _Him. _It was a damn stupid thing to do, but I didn't need him worrying about me anymore than he already was, what with the whole near-death experience and all.

I was alone when Jacob told me that he had to leave; Sam was at work and Emily had left for the grocery story. I got to thinking about things…_not_ a good thing to do.

_Where is _He_ now?  
__Does he know where I live?  
__Does he know where anybody else lives?  
__What will I do if _He_ finds me?  
__What kind of job are the police doing over in Forks?  
__Did Emily remember that we're out of milk?_


End file.
